It wasn't chance.
We just don't do things that way. The seating in the van was wrong. So it must have been right. The passengers in the van were wrong. So they must have been right. It wasn't chance, though it was just an Algebra lesson and a few errands that seemed to make the difference.
The seating in the van was wrong. We have our own seats, but last Monday my family did a few errands in town before heading toward a Mennonite food store for lunch. Each time the door opened someone went in or out and one person moved over to make room for another. Brian and Aaron were in each other's seats; Julie was in my seat; Betsy was lying in the back. The seating almost seemed like chance, but it was so unusual that it couldn't have been.
The passengers in the van were wrong. Aaron didn't have to work, so they picked him up at his house on their way. Aaron rarely goes on birthday trips anymore. After the crash when Brian was holding Aaron's bleeding head, Aaron asked where they were and what they were doing. "But I don't go on birthday trips," he said.
I, on the other hand, do. But I had been tutoring Algebra and had planned to meet the family later in the day. After the crash Logan wandered around the van in a daze. Then he stopped and looked through the window at LIbby. He had a horrified look on his face. "Where's Amy?" he asked. Aaron was along and I wasn't. It wasn't chance.
It wasn't chance. It was purposeful. But I don't understand it. I don't understand why I was the one person who wasn't in the vehicle Monday. I guess I don't have to understand; I know that God had his hands on us. He nudged one person over and then another. He scheduled an Algebra lesson. He set His limits. He allowed it. He is not chance.
Mom was sitting in the front passenger seat. Aaron was directly behind her and Logan was behind Aaron. Julie was beside Aaron in the middle and Brian was on the far side of Julie. Libby sat in the middle of the second seat beside Logan and Naomi. Betsy was in the third bench back and Dad was driving.
Photo credits: Logan
well of course amy if you had had your pelvis popped, then who would have been able to hold my hand
ReplyDeleteHis plan....he needed someone unbattered to support those who were battered...and you were just the one he needed...thanks for your willingness to sacrifice sleep and comfort in order to comfort those in need. What a blessing you are.
ReplyDeleteAmy, you don't know me -- I am a friend of Kristen Isley and a sister in Christ. Because your family is such a big part of Kristen's life, I feel like I know you, so I have been reading your blog and praying for your family.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are very special. You have a gift. And your writing is special, too. (As a writer myself, I don't say that lightly.) Today's entry, especially, was beautiful in content. God's ways are inscrutable. But faith that they are good is a beautiful thing to see in a sister and to hold onto in hard times.
Logan,
ReplyDeleteMy compliments on your picture taking. Oh, by the way Logan, you might chech that front left tire on the van... It looks like it may be a little low on air.
Uncle Keith
I know what you mean by it not being chance, Amy. When Mom and I were riding bikes together, she went first because she had the slower bike. Also, sometimes we walked across the bridge, but this time we rode across... There can be big results from "little" decisions, and it is good to know that God has us in his hands. He never forgets or neglects us!
ReplyDelete~Sara Miller